Erlanger, Kentucky – Lovingly referred to as “The Car Barn,” Collection 21 is located just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, Ohio. Behind its doors rests a sprawling assortment of amazing vehicles—we’re talking everything from a 1903 Orient Buckboard to a 1988 Twin-Turbo Callaway Corvette (and plenty of other rare and unusual rides in between).
Though it’s a single owner’s private collection that’s not open to the public, the venue occasionally allows visitors in for showings, with proceeds typically going to the delightfully acronym’d HONK (Housing Opportunities for Northern Kentucky) non-profit organization.
So when we heard that Collection 21 was offering tours during the holidays, we jumped at the chance to visit—take a look at the photos below and you’ll see why.
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This pint-size off-roader is a Crosley Farm-O-Road. You can learn more about Cincinnati, Ohio-based Crosley Motors here. (Image/OnAllCylinders)Speaking of both small and off-roaders, this diminutive coupe is from American Bantam, which many regard as the father of the Jeep. Read the full Jeep origin story here. (Image/OnAllCylinders)Yup, Ford had a retractable hardtop way back in the 1950s. Check out more details on the Fairlane Skyliner coupe here. (Image/OnAllCylinders)This is an example of the popular Corvair “Rampside” pickup. Read about its ill-fated cousin, the “Loadside,” in this article. (Image/OnAllCylinders)…Or if you’re into Corvairs of the wagon and more-door variety, you may appreciate this Corvair article too. (Image/OnAllCylinders)We did a double-take here, as we thought this 1909 Hupmobile was the “Leslie Special.” (Image/OnAllCylinders)While Collection 21 is primarily comprised of prewar and other vintage classics, there were a few examples of 1960s muscle on display as well. This 428-powered 1970 Mach 1 was especially stunning.(Image/OnAllCylinders)Hey look! It’s one of our favorite cars named after a fish. (Image/OnAllCylinders)The collection includes a handful of Cord automobiles—an early innovator in front-wheel drive architecture. (Image/OnAllCylinders)And since we’re on the topic of Cord and front-wheel drive, the 1966 Olds Toronado was the first domestic FWD car made after the Cord 810/812 ceased production in the late 1930s. (Image/OnAllCylinders)One of the oldest vehicles in the collection is this horse-drawn fire dept. pumper wagon from 1856. You can check out more vintage fire trucks in this photo gallery as well. (Image/OnAllCylinders)OK, prepare yourselves Jeep fans—we’re about to hit you with (GASP) three (!) Jeep Forward Controls… (Image/OnAllCylinders)<…breathing heavily into a paper bag…> (Image/OnAllCylinders)Obligatory.(Image/OnAllCylinders)We’re pretty sure the designer of this 1940 Graham went on to a successful career with Norelco. (Image/OnAllCylinders)This 1931 Lincoln limousine is sporting a true Brougham layout. If you’ve ever wondered what the term “Brougham” means, read this. (Image/OnAllCylinders)Fun Fact: Before it was ever used on a truck, Ford applied the name “Ranger” to the short-lived Edsel marque. (Image/OnAllCylinders)Collection 21 has a robust assortment of Corvettes, particularly from the C1 Generation. (Image/OnAllCylinders)Look closely—it’s a Callaway Twin-Turbo. Those are the signatures of Dave McLellan and Reeves Callaway under the hood too. (Image/OnAllCylinders)Did you know Studebaker made trucks? This one in particular is a 1963 Champ. (Image/OnAllCylinders)Studebaker was just one of the orphaned marques featured prominently within The Car Barn; names like Nash, Kaiser, Packard, Peerless, and others were scattered around the halls too. (Image/OnAllCylinders)(Image/OnAllCylinders)(Image/OnAllCylinders)(Image/OnAllCylinders)You can read a brief history of the Kaiser-Frazer company here. (Image/OnAllCylinders)Speaking of Kaiser, this is a nifty 1954 Darrin. Note how its pocket doors slide forward into the front fenders. (Image/OnAllCylinders)In the back of the building is a jaw-dropping mix of vintage trucks as well; we liked this 1929 International stakebed in particular. (Image/OnAllCylinders)This is a vintage Mack dump truck. Note the semaphore signal on the cab. Any guesses on what purpose that serves? We honestly don’t know. (Image/OnAllCylinders)Here’s a 1961 Chrysler 300G, complete with its Wedge-Head 413ci V8. (Image/OnAllCylinders)Finally, if the cars aren’t enough, Collection 21 also houses a pretty sizeable O gauge model train layout too. And if that sort of thing interest you, you may dig this article: 5 Things Model Trains Teach You About Wrenching on Cars (Image/OnAllCylinders)
Paul is the editor of OnAllCylinders. When he's not writing, you'll probably find him fixing oil leaks in a Jeep CJ-5 or roof leaks in an old Corvette ragtop. Thanks to a penchant for vintage Honda motorcycles, he spends the rest of his time fiddling with carburetors and cleaning chain lube off his left pant leg.
Comments
2 responses to “Photo Gallery: Massive Indoor Car Collection—Prewar Classics, Rare Rides, Vintage Trucks & More”
That was my first guess, but with the dump bed, I didn’t know if it could be sort of a bed position indicator or some kind of work signal. Thanks for reading and clarifying.
The “semaphore” arm on that Mack is the turn signal. I can’t believe you didn’t know that.
That was my first guess, but with the dump bed, I didn’t know if it could be sort of a bed position indicator or some kind of work signal. Thanks for reading and clarifying.